Achilles’ Heel
by Cheetah Goddess
Summary: Hikari had always considered herself to be a strong person, but when she thought she would lose Jun, she finally knew the meaning of fear... Twinleafshipping, JunxHikari DamionxDawn RivalxHeroine


"_Jun, look out!"_

This was not happening, right? This was all some cruel joke someone was playing on her.

_The blond jolted at the girl's cry, a Pokéball still raised and ready in his hand. He turned just in time to see the blinding streak of light whizzing toward him._

She had to be asleep right now. She was dreaming. There was no way this was actually happening. She would wake up any moment now, and everyone would laugh and call her silly for worrying so much.

_There was no time for the boy to react; the Hyper Beam was much too swift for him to avoid. It drilled him squarely on the chest, sending him spiraling into the air with a ghastly shriek._

This was a dream. This had to be a dream.

Someone, tell her this was a dream!

_The boy returned to earth with a sickening thud, landing several feet away from the place he had been launched. His bright amber eyes stared wide into the sky, his mouth still open in a silent scream._

The world had stopped; her heart had stopped. Everything had stopped until a scream broke the silence.

Her scream.

"_**JUUUUUN!!!"**_

Her whole body was completely numb; she couldn't remember when she had started running. Hikari dropped to her knees next to Jun's crumbled body, her mind slowly trying to fathom what she was seeing. She reached out a trembling hand to touch him, feeling something warm on the back of his head; she drew her hand back like she had touched fire, noticing the blood for the first time.

"J–J–J–Jun! Oh my god, oh my god!" A small trickle of blood formed a small puddle under the boy's head, staining Hikari's knees crimson. Her eyes flicked from the blood to his body; his shirt had melted away from the heat of the Hyper Beam, leaving his chest a blistery mess.

Thousands of questions flooded her mind: Was he breathing? Should she touch him? She shouldn't touch him, right? Did he have a pulse? What was she going to do? He was breathing, right? Was anything broken? Was he in pain? How severe was that burn? How could this have happened? He was alive, right? Did she have any first aid equipment on her? Where was the nearest hospital? This couldn't be real, right? What should she do? Where was all that blood coming from?!

A shout brought her back to her senses. "Hikari!"

Her head shot up, looking toward the battlefield. Kouki was backed against a pillar, Team Galactic grunts surrounding him from all sides. Behind them a rampaging Giratina roared its fury, releasing another Hyper Beam into the sky.

Two more grunts rushed toward her; however, both of them were blown away by a ferocious Whirlwind attack. Jun's Pokémon formed a circle around the two trainers, dissuading any further ambush attempts.

Hikari knew she had to stop Team Galactic; it seemed that defeating Cyrus had not been enough. She called out commands to her Pokémon: "Infernape! Lucario! Focus on Giratina! The rest of you, help Kouki!" The Pokémon moved into action quickly, Infernape and Lucario dancing circles around Giratina while her other Pokémon drew the grunts away from Kouki, battling on their own.

Hikari was confident her Pokémon would do fine without her. She focused again on the unconscious boy, her mind reeling. She rested her hand gently on his chest, rewarded with the fluttering of his heart beat underneath her fingertips. He was hurt, but _alive_. Now what was she supposed to do?

Only one thing came to mind; she had to stop the bleeding. She unwrapped the white scarf from her neck, ripping off a long strip of fabric with trembling hands. Lifting the boy's head as gently as she could manage, she wrapped the strip around where she thought he was bleeding, fumbling as she tied the cloth into a knot.

She reached for another piece of scarf but was forced to duck as a stray Hyper Beam soared inches over Hikari's head, sending shards of stone raining down on her as it destroyed a nearby pillar. Her attention switched once again to the battle. Most of the Grunts had fled the scene, leaving the raging Giratina behind. Kouki stood before the beast, ordering the rest of the Pokémon to attack.

Giratina reared onto its haunches, issuing another fierce roar as it slammed down its front legs, sending a tremor throughout the floor. Kouki and the majority of the Pokémon were knocked back by the force of the Earthquake, unable to retaliate when Giratina fired another Hyper Beam at Hikari.

The girl threw herself over Jun's body as his Empoleon projected a Protect over the three. The shield managed to withstand the attack, the Hyper Beam dissipating into the air. She jumped to her feet, determined to finish the battle. She motioned to Jun's Pokémon to join the fray, yelling orders at Kouki. "Kouki! Get the Pokémon to completely surround Giratina! We need to combine all our attacks!"

The boy nodded, motioning to the Pokémon. Satisfied, the girl issued more orders. "Infernape! Climb onto Giratina and distract it!" Infernape swung onto the beast's back, dodging Giratina's feeble attempts at dislodging it. "Pachirisu, use Thunder Wave to slow it down!" The tiny squirrel squeaked its reply, blue lighting racing from its small form and engulfing the giant Pokémon.

"Okay! On my word, everyone fire their strongest attacks!" The beast fired another Hyper Beam into the sky, its great frame shuddering from the effort; the paralysis had taken its toll. Infernape leapt from Giratina's back, landing in front of the Pokémon.

Hikari yelled with all the might her lungs could manage. "_**FIRE!**_" The cries of the Pokémon reached a deafening crescendo as they all released their most powerful attacks. Giratina screeched in pain and fury, unable to avoid the damage. The ancient Pokémon swung its body around, trying to knock away the attacking Pokémon, but to no avail; the Pokémon were just as determined as their trainers to win.

Finally, the huge Pokémon succumbed to the attacks, teetering precariously on its legs. "Get out of the way!" Everyone moved at Hikari's command, the great beast falling to the ground like a tree cut by a lumberjack's ax. Giratina had been defeated. Tendrils of darkness began gathering around the Pokémon, dragging it back into the world it had came from.

Hikari had no time to let out a sigh of relief; she dropped back to her knees, hovering over Jun. Kouki ran up to the two, panting. "Hikari! Is Jun alright?"

She mopped up the blood on the blond's chest with a piece of her scarf, her whole body shaking. "No…I don't know! He's hurt pretty bad, but he's alive!" Hikari looked up to Kouki, eyes wide with fright. "What should we do?!"

Kouki began to scan the area. "First, we need to make a splint for his arm; it looks pretty bad." He ran off, trying to find something sturdy to brace the break.

Hikari reevaluated Jun's injuries. It seemed he had landed on his arm; it was twisted underneath his back. She started to lift the boy, attempting to slide the arm out from underneath him.

Jun's eyes flew open; he screamed out in pain, the most heartrending sound Hikari had ever heard. He thrashed around with his good arm, knocking Hikari away from him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"J–Jun!" The girl could feel herself begin to hyperventilate; what was she supposed to do?! His orange eyes were wide, begging Hikari to stop the pain. She tried to reach out for his arm again, but the boy pushed her away, his screams unrelenting.

"Kouki!" Hikari looked around frantically for the other boy, tears stinging her eyes. "Kouki, do something! I'm hurting him!"

"Sing, Clefairy!" The petite pink Pokémon bounded up to Hikari's side, her trainer not far behind. He dropped an assortment of slabs of rocks next to the girl, kneeling down. He rubbed his cheeks, trying to keep a calm face. "It seems like he didn't break his neck at least, if he can move like that. Let's get his arm out from under him." Kouki lifted the boy up, allowing Hikari to drag his arm out. Jun clutched his good hand into a fist, whimpering through clenched teeth; the pain was too great for him to succumb completely to Clefairy's song.

Hikari scrubbed tears from her eyes as she and Kouki aligned the slabs around Jun's arm, securing them with the rest of Hikari's scarf. One of his legs looked like it had also taken severe damage; they used Kouki's scarf to secure the make-shift splint.

Kouki flipped out his PokèGear, cursing their luck. "Damn…There's no signal up here! I doubt anyone would be able to find this place…" The Spear Pillar was too deep in Mount Coronet for any vehicles to make it. He bit his thumb. It went against his better judgment to move the boy, but it seemed like there was no other choice. "We need to get out of here."

Hikari looked around, spotting her Noctowl. "Kouki, why don't you take Noctowl and get help? We'll get Jun out of the mountain!"

The boy paused for a moment, thinking deeply. He finally nodded, running up to the owl. "We'll meet you at the entrance." Kouki jumped onto Noctowl's back, the Pokémon taking flight.

"Infernape! Help me, please!" The Pokémon knelt next to her, picking up Jun in its arms.

"Be careful with him!" She recalled the rest of the Pokémon into their Pokéballs, turning to Infernape. "Let's hurry!"

* * *

Hikari ran along side Infernape, gasping as she struggled to get enough oxygen to her muscles; she thought either her heart would explode or her legs would give out at any moment. However, Jun's piteous moans were enough to keep her running.

She tripped over her own feet, skidding painfully on the gravelly floor. Infernape waited patiently as Hikari picked herself up and wiped the tears from her eyes before starting to run again, ignoring the pain in her legs. As she ran, she continued to murmer things to the boy between breaths, hoping that they reached him somehow. "Everything's…gonna be alright…Everything's…gonna be fine……Stay strong…Jun…Stay strong…!"

It seemed like they had been running for hours through the gloom of the caves, Hikari trusting only her instincts to lead them back into the world. Finally, she spotted the light at the end of the tunnel; warm twilight spilled into the cave from the opening. Her goal in sight, she used the last of her strength in a burst of speed, racing out of the cave and into the outside world before her legs finally gave out. She collapsed onto the grass, coughing painfully.

Infernape trailed behind, laying Jun on the ground a few feet from Hikari. The Pokémon looked just as exhausted as his trainer, drooping visibly.

Hikari rummaged in her pocket, unearthing Infernape's Pokéball. "I'm sorry…Infernape…You were probably…already exhausted from the battle, weren't you?" She recalled the Pokémon, shoving the ball back into her pocket. "Have…a good rest." The girl's chest heaved with every breath she took, her racing heartbeat drumming in her ears.

She lifted her head, looking around the forest. The whole area was silent; not a Pokémon was in sight. It seemed as if Kouki hadn't made it back yet. She looked over at Jun, her chest growing tight. The boy was also quiet, his body still. Hikari struggled to her knees, crawling next to the boy before collapsing on her stomach again. She held her breath, listening to his ragged breathing.

Tears spilled down her cheeks; she closed her eyes, allowing her self to sob. "Oh, Jun…I'm sorry…I'm so, so, sorry…" She reached up, tugging at her hat. "This is all my fault…"

"…kari…" Her head shot up, staring at Jun. The boy's eyes were still shut tight, his lips barely moving. "…kari……Hi…kari…"

"Jun…" She reached out, gripping his good hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm right here, Jun…"

Jun's eyes cracked open, staring up at the sky. "…Kari…I'm…sorry." He closed his eyes again, hissing in pain. His grip on Hikari's hand turned vise-like.

Hikari struggled back onto her knees, holding his hand in her lap. "Jun, hold on! Kouki will be back any second!"

Jun faded back out of consciousness, breathing becoming more shallow. She gripped his hand, becoming frantic again. "Jun! Jun!!" She jolted at the sound of sirens growing closer to her, and soon spotted an ambulance speeding toward her.

The next few moments were a blur to her; people surrounded Jun, yelling unintelligible medical mumbo-jumbo to each other while wheeling Jun into the back of the ambulance. Kouki ran up to her, helping her to her feet.

"Hikari!" She turned to Kouki, hearing him for the first time. He gripped her shoulders, worry etched over his face. "I'm going to borrow Noctowl and get your parents, okay?" She nodded slowly, her whole body numb again. Kouki flashed her a gentle smile. "Why don't you ride in the ambulance with Jun?"

She nodded again, this time more fervently. The boy led her over to the vehicle, helping her inside. "I'll meet up with you as soon as I can, okay? Take care of Jun!" The doors slammed and the ambulance took off, sirens blaring once again. She gripped Jun's hand once again, ignoring the people around her. "It's going to be okay, Jun…It's going to be okay!"

* * *

**A/N: Heh...heh heh....I'm so mean to my favorite characters. XD I just got this image in my head of Jun being struck by something one day, and this fanfiction was born!**

**It's LOOSELY (imphasis on on "loose") based on the battle at the Spear Pillar in Platinum, with Jun there too. Considering that I haven't even played Platinum, don't expect it to be anything like the real battle at ALL. My interpretaion, dangit!**

**So, this was going to be a oneshot, but now it's going to be two parts! The second part is already half-way done, so it's shouldn't take me too long...mebbie.**

**Oh yeah, and disclaimer and all. XD**


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